May 14, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 91 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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NATIONAL POLICE WEEK; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 91
(Senate - May 14, 2020)
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[Pages S2443-S2444] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] NATIONAL POLICE WEEK Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, this is National Police Week. It is one of the weeks that I always look forward to. For years now, it has been an opportunity to spend time with people who protect us--who protect all of us. We get a chance each day to say thank you to the Capitol Police, who work here at the Capitol. As the chairman of the Law Enforcement Caucus, I have lots of opportunities in our State to see officers in groups and one at a time, and I always try to be thankful to them when I see them. Yet this is a time every year when we get a chance to see people from all over the country come to Washington, and it is a chance for us to say thank you to them and thank you to their families. This year in particular, Chief Jon Belmar--the just recently retiring chief at the St. Louis County Police Department and good friend who was always there for advice, always brought a big contingent of officers to Police Week. So I am thinking about him and of not seeing him at Police Week in Washington. I am also thinking about the new chief of the St. Louis County Police Department, Chief Mary Barton. This is a county of over a million people, so it is a substantial job. It is a place to really affect how police work is done. I look forward to spending time with Chief Barton as she moves forward with what she can do to build on what has happened in the department over the years. Like so much else this year, Police Week is different than it has been before. There are no sounds of hundreds of motorcycles going down the streets of Washington as we celebrate the week. There are no groups of law enforcement officers or police vehicles from all over the country coming here. I am grateful for them. They protect [[Page S2444]] our safety. This is a job wherein, every day when you leave home, you have no idea what events may come before you that day, and, frankly, your family has no idea what may happen that day. I have told a number of officers, in thinking about their families, including the officers who serve here at the Capitol, that they generally have some sense as to whether they are in a moment that could lead to danger or not beyond the normal readiness to serve us but that their families, with their not being with them when they are at work, have to wonder over and over again during the day what threat may come to the person about whom they care so much as that person protects others. Each year, one of the memorable events of National Police Week is the candlelight vigil that is held at the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial a few blocks from here. We gather there annually to hear the names of officers who have lost their lives and to bear witness to and be grateful for their service. Sadly, in the past year, Missouri has lost three dedicated officers. Last June, Lakeshire Chief of Police Wayne Neidenberg passed away after assisting at the scene of a rollover crash in O'Fallon, MO. Chief Neidenberg had stopped at the scene on his way home, called for assistance, and proceeded on after the situation was stabilized, but before he got out of his car at home, he had a heart attack. We lost Chief Neidenberg at that moment. He spent his entire career in law enforcement. He served in both the St. Louis County Police Department and in the Lakeshire Police Department. He was an Army veteran. He is survived by Ardell, his wife; Cori, his daughter; and his three sons, Matthew, Darek, and Aaron. On Sunday, June 23, North County Police Cooperative Officer Michael Langsdorf responded to a complaint of check fraud at a local business in Wellston, MO. The man who has been charged with his murder shot Officer Langsdorf after a struggle inside the store. He had served with the department for only 3 months, but before that, for 17 years, he had been part of the St. Louis City Metropolitan Police force. At his memorial service, Officer Langsdorf's son, Kaleb, remembered his dad this way: They say never to meet your heroes because you'll end up disappointed. Well, I had the chance to be raised by mine, and he never disappointed. He taught me that a life of rescuing, defending and serving is the only life worth living. In addition to Kaleb, Officer Langsdorf is survived by Kim, his fiancee; by Olivia, his daughter; and by his future stepchildren, Devin and Kaitlyn. Officer Christopher Walsh joined the Springfield Police Department in 2016. On the evening of Sunday, March 15 of this year, Officer Walsh responded to an active shooter situation at a convenience store. The shooter had opened fire in the store, killing three people and injuring a fourth person. Officer Walsh rushed into harm's way to protect others. The shooter opened fire on Officer Walsh and killed him. His fellow officer, Josiah Overton, was injured in the same attack. Officer Walsh was fatally wounded and died the next day. He was a U.S. Army Reservist. During his 14 years of service in the Reserves, he completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sheri, his wife, and Morgan, their daughter, will live with his loss for the rest of their lives. Let me share a passage from Chris's obituary. Chris, by the way, was the first Springfield officer of the town I live in to be killed on duty since the 1930s. It is a great city with the great, good fortune of its officers' managing to do their jobs without having a loss like this, but we had one this year. The quote from his obituary reads: Christopher Ryan Walsh, a man devoid of vanity and devoted to the service and to the welfare of others, would hope that out of these tragic circumstances something beautiful could take root in all of our hearts. Chris would hope that his memory would serve as an example to spur small kindnesses and acts of devotion and service to all of our community, friends and loved ones, to look past the things that separate us and to focus on the things that unite us. So Police Week is exactly the time to think about the things that unite us, to think about these officers and their courage, to think about their acts of devotion and service as we remember them. Congress wants to make sure that law enforcement officers have the support they need and never get into a situation without the resources needed to back them up. I am honored to serve as cochairman of the bipartisan Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, which advances legislation that supports the efforts of law enforcement nationwide. Senator Coons from Delaware is the other founder and cochair. Together, we sponsored the National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act that became law last year. The proceeds of the sales from those coins minted under the law would go to education and outreach about the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers throughout our country's history. I am also a cosponsor of legislation that would provide resources to protect officers' mental and physical well-being, including the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act and the Lifesaving Gear for Police Act. I am glad to be a cosponsor of the Thin Blue Line Act and the Back the Blue Act, both of which are designed to better protect police officers and hold perpetrators who attack them accountable. Through these pieces of legislation and several others, the Congress has a chance to once again show its support of the men and women who serve in law enforcement. Police Week is different this year. I think we are all particularly appreciative of how law enforcement is having to step up in the crisis of the virus, doing what needs to be done, and again often making way for first responders and others to do what they can to save life and to protect other people who somehow are on the edges of this virus. They deal with people who are isolated in their homes, and because they are isolated, their mental health issues have become bigger issues. This is not an easy time for any of those who serve. Every year, we remember law enforcement, but this year I think we need to be particularly grateful for those who serve and protect us. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Braun). The majority leader. ____________________
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